Why Buy Organic: The Beet, Weaver Street's E-Newsletter

Link to Weaver Street Market's Home Page

Why Buy Organic
by Cat Moleski, WSM Features Editor
Over the weekend I read a quote in the Daily Tarheel from a shopper who said that no one has explained the clear benefit of organic food. I'm willing to put that down to the fact that this person has just move to the Triangle and so probably doesn't know how great our local, organic products are. Just in case there are others out there who feel the same, let's try to make the benefits clear. The reasons for buying organic are greater than just how great a tomato looks. It's also about how good that tomato is for the body once it's consumed and how well the earth was tended that the tomato was grown in and also how the land it grew on impacts the region it's located in and the people who grew that tomato. More

After Hours
Jazz Brunch
SV Music Series
2nd Friday Art Walk

WSM Board Responds

Potluck in a Pasture
Kids Make Sherbet!
Celebrate Bastille Day

Fueling the Farm Workshop

July Farm Dinner!
New art!
August Wine Dinner

Weekly Produce Specials
Weekly Meat Specials

Daisy Hoop Cheddar




Why Buy Organic continued
In September of 2004, Business Week ran an article talking about the health benefits of organic produce for children and pregnant women. Follow the link below to read the entire article, but basically children and developing fetuses are at a higher health risk due to the synthetic pesticides used on conventional produce. For adults, science has not yet linked low levels of pesticide residue in the human body directly with any disease, but in one subject of the Human Toxome Project the study found 180 of 304 tested chemicals. Yikes! Do you really want to add to your 'body burden' as scientists call the level of chemicals in each one of us, every time you eat a tomato? Questions of personal health aside, let's talk about the health of the land. Organic farming practices reduce the toxic waste that runs off farmland into our watershed. Here is where both growing organic plants and meats impact our community in a positive way. Organically grown cows and pigs are raised humanely with access to green pastures. Goodbye feedlots, overcrowding, and dangerous hog lagoons. Organic farmers see themselves as stewards of our land. And the people who work their land are healthier, too. Conventional farm workers and their families bear a staggering health risk due to exposure to synthetic pesticides. I think organic food tastes better and I feel good knowing that my food choice is positively impacting my health, the health of the land and someone else's quality of life. Follow these links for more information: Business Week Greenpeace Human Toxome Project Environmental Defense Pesticide-related illness among migrant farm workers

Weekly Produce Specials


	"Choice" Alabama Peaches	$1.69 lb
	Organic Black Amber Plums	$1.69 lb
	Organic Bing Cherries	$4.99 lb	last of the season

Weekly Meat & Seafood Specials

	Alison's Farms All Natural Whole Chickens	$1.69 lb	save 50¢ lb
	Niman Ranch All Natural Top Sirloin Steaks	$8.99 lb	USDA Choice Certified Angus Beef
	North Carolina Farm Raised Catfish Fillets	$7.99 lb	save $2.00 lb
Read more about other Weaver Street Market Specials.


Daisy Hoop Cheddar Cheese

On Sale now till August 1st for $4.99/lb NC "Daisy Hoop" cheese is very familiar to locals. It is mild, and has a nice smooth texture and just enough cheddar flavor to make a comforting grilled cheese sandwich, omelet or good ol' macaroni and cheese.



After Hours

Every Thursday On the Weaver Street Market lawn in Carrboro, 6-8 pm Weaver Street Market invites the community to enjoy an eclectic mix of local bands under the oaks in Carrboro. Bring a blanket or chair and relax with freshly prepared hot food from our Hot Bar or picnic on cheese, salami, and bread fresh from our bakery. Beer and wine will be available for sale inside the store. Weaver Street Market loves to see people enjoying our lawn and connecting with their community. To keep this event a safe and fun place, we ask that you only bring friendly, well-behaved dogs on leashes and please clean up after them. We want the children who attend our event to have a safe and happy time too, so we ask that they not be allowed to climb the trees, including the Crepe Myrtles. Lastly, please enjoy the fountain from its perimeter. Thank you for your help in making this event safe and fun for everyone. July 12 - Milagro Saints - Sweet rugged Folk July 19 - Carolina Caterwaulers - breakdowns, hoedowns & songs of the South July 26 - Armand and Bluesology - house rockin' music August 2 - Equinox- jazz and pop standards August 9 - Hushpuppies- Tasty old-time songs and tunes from the Piedmont of NC August 16 - Hot Tin Roof-50s and 60s rock and roll August 23 - Dom Casual Band-50s influenced modern rock between surf and Spy August 30 - Contrazz-a trad-jazz fusion *After Hours & the ALE Regulations* We know how much fun it is to sit on the lawn and drink some beers, but unfortunately North Carolina law forbids Weaver Street Market from selling six packs for consumption outside. You can buy beer singles from our cooler, or half-gallon Growlers from Carolina Brewery, but please—be kind to our cashiers and don't buy a six pack to take outside. *The Orange County Rape Crisis Center is Cooking at After Hours this Week* The Rape Crisis Center is a non-profit, volunteer agency which has been serving this community since 1974. They work to provide a place of help, hope and healing for all those affected by sexual violence and they conduct awareness and prevention programs to over 11,000 people a year. Their services are confidential and include: a 24-hour crisis intervention service that provides support and assistance to sexual assault victims, their families, and friends; information and referrals concerning the law enforcement, medical, and legal processes; support groups and individual counseling for sexual assault and child sexual abuse survivors; programs on sexual assault awareness and prevention.
Read more about other Weaver Street Market events here.

Jazz Brunch

Sundays 11 am - 1 pm On the lawn in Carrboro Weaver Street Market's Jazz & More! Brunch is under way! This family friendly event is a great way to start your Sunday. Inside, we'll have fresh scones, muffins and sweet pastries in our bake case; fresh, hot coffee and a barista to make that special coffee drink; and an array of eggs, grits, pancakes or French Toast to fill you up! Outside, under the oaks, you'll hear a range of local bands playing Jazz, Americana, Blues, and Bluegrass; keeping everybody happy and dancing. Children and well-behaved dogs are welcome. Please keep the children out of the trees and fountain and dogs on leashes. Band schedule: July 15 - The Guilty Pleasures - traditional American Music July 22 - Different Drum - American music with a world beat July 29 - Laura Ridgeway - Jazz vocalist August 5 - Equinox - jazz and pop standards August 12 - Susan Reeves - jazz vocalist sings blues flavored renditions of standards and lesser-known gems August 19 - The Todd Proctor Trio - rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic possibilities, from the roots of Jazz and other cultures August 26 - The Richard Tazewell Quartet - progressive jazz and Caribbean

SV Music Series

Attend Southern Village outdoor concerts every Sunday at 7 pm There is no admission except where noted on the calendar. July 15 - The Will McBride Group - Jazz Rock Fusion. July 22 - The Decatur Street Beat Dixieland Band - New Orleans Jazz at its finest.
Click here to see more of the schedule.

2nd Friday Art Walk

Friday, July 13 6:00 - 9:00pm This is a perfect opportunity for those of you who enjoy art, entertainment and live music! This community gathering event will be taking place in Carrboro and Chapel Hill on Friday evening. Admission is free to everyone. Sizl Gallery Artist Reception JASON CARDENAS 410 Market Street LOBBY & SUITE 312 As part of the 2nd Friday Art Walk. Please join us!
Additional information may be viewed here.

WSM Board Responds

On June 19, 2007, prior to a meeting of the Weaver Street Market Board of Directors, the Board received a petition signed by a number of employees detailing concerns about the Food House project and including a request for the Board to impose a moratorium on the Food House plans. The Board also received comments from other employees who did not agree with the petition.

Weaver Street Market's Board of Directors' job is to set long term outcome ("Ends"), to set limits of prudence and ethics ("Limits") on how that outcome can be achieved and to regularly monitor that Ends are accomplished within those Limits. On July 2, 2007 the Board held a special meeting to determine whether any policy had been violated with respect to the concerns raised. The Board considered the following: 1) Did the Food House decision comply with the Board's Treatment of Staff policy regarding a transparent and participatory decision-making standard? 2) Will the Food House create a condition of detrimental treatment of staff? (Workers raised concerns that the Food House would cause inadequate compensation and that conditions would be burdensome and unfulfilling. To note, there were no complaints of current or past mistreatment of staff. Rather, there were fears that these conditions would happen.) 3) Is the Food House contrary to Ends? In other words, does the Food House move us in the wrong direction?

The board systematically re-examined the General Manager's interpretation of policy and relevant data, including a detailed written account of the process in making the decision for the Food House and past monitoring reports. This review confirmed that the General Manager had complied with relevant Board policy and that the Food House had been conceived and developed through much consideration over time to appropriately further the Mission (Ends) of the Cooperative.

The Board thus declines the request for a moratorium on the Food House plans. This was a decision of all directors present with one stand aside. Providing strategic leadership and governance accountability for Weaver Street Market is a demanding process—one that the Board constantly strives to improve. Our policies, including those that are designed to protect against unacceptable employee conditions are subject to regular review. Continuing input from both worker-owners and consumer-owners on the values that should properly underlie these policies is invaluable to the Board in that undertaking. For any questions or comments on behalf of the Weaver Street Market Board of Directors, please contact Jacob Myers, Board Chair, at board@weaverstreetmarket.coop.

Potluck in a Pasture

Count the sheep and artists at "Potluck in a Pasture" July 15!

You can count the sheep, the artists and the local ingredients at the next "Potluck in a Pasture" sponsored by ChathamArts® on Sunday July 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Pugh's Cedarbrakes Sheep Farm pasture near Silk Hope. Watch Fred and Barbara Pugh's sheepdogs round up the herd while you listen to Celtic harp music, meet local artists and enjoy a farm-fresh supper in a bucolic setting.

Featured artists include: Lisa and Karl Janson, creators of handmade birch kitting needles, crochet hooks and tools; Sue Szary, a spinner who owns Cashmere goats and Icelandic sheep; weaver Pat Randorf; Celtic harpist Dora Owens; and metal artist Roger Lamana

The idea for the potluck series is to celebrate the local food and artists that are crucial to Chatham's rural economy and culture. Visitors are asked to bring a potluck dish for eight made with at least one local ingredient, and a copy of the recipe for our Potluck cookbook. It's a good idea to bring hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and a lawn chair or blanket.

Adults and children over 12 are asked to donate $10 ($8 for ChathamArts members), and $5 for children under 12 ($4 for members); free for children under 5. Proceeds benefit ChathamArts, the non-profit county arts council that supports diverse arts and cultural programs in the schools and the community throughout the year.

To reach Pugh's sheep pasture, take U.S. 64 or U.S. 64 bypass west of U.S. 15-501 in Pittsboro. About 2 miles after the bypass ends turn right on WR Clark/Butner Road, go north 2.7 miles, follow the Potluck signs and turn right at the electric fence. For further details or weather information on Potluck day call 919.219.9840.

The Potluck in a Pasture series will conclude on Sunday August 19 at Harland's Creek Farm located on Plantation Drive, four miles west of Pittsboro off U.S. 64 business via Manco Dairy Road. ChathamArts invites the public to come at 5 p.m. for its annual meeting, followed by the final potluck supper featuring local artists from 6 to 8 p.m. Featured artists will include ceramicist Salinda Dahl, sculptor Susan Draughon, wood turner Joel Hunnicutt and potter Melody Troncale, with music by Laine Lipson (vocalist) and Avis Autry (keyboards) performing standards from the 1930s and '40s.

Local food ingredients for your pot-luck may come from your own backyard or neighboring farms, from local farmers' markets at the Chatham County Fairgrounds in Pittsboro (Thursdays), Fearrington Village (Tuesdays), in downtown Siler City (Saturdays), at Southern Village (Thursdays) and in Carrboro (Wednesdays and Saturdays), or from Chatham Marketplace in Pittsboro and Weaver Street in Southern Village and Carrboro.

ChathamArts also exhibits and sells the work of local artists at its gallery at 115 Hillsboro Street in historic downtown Pittsboro. Open every Tuesday-Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm and First Sunday's from 12 noon to 5 pm when other Pittsboro shops, eateries and galleries are open with arts and crafts for sale on the sidewalks. 919.542.0394. http://www.chathamarts.org/

Kids Make Sherbet

Southern Village Farmers' Market, across from the Lumina Theater
Kid's Event: Let's Make Sherbet with Sheri Castle
Thursday, July 12, 4:30 PM on the Village Green

Sheri Castle of Creative Cooking with Sheri Castle churns Blackberry-Buttermilk Sherbet at the Southern Village Farmers' Market this Thursday, July 12, 4:30 PM. The Easter freeze damaged a lot of fruit in our area. But the freeze also caused a Blackberry Winter. That in turn produced an abundance of blackberries. So we thought we should take advantage of it! Bring the kids, pitch in with the churning, and taste this summer treat. What's the difference between ice cream and sherbet? Drop by to find out. Recipes provided.

Celebrate Bastille Day

Celebrate Bastille Day with CHICLE and the Open Eye Café
Sunday, July 15
At the Open-Eye - 101 S Greenboro St.
3:00 - 4:00 pm Activities for children, including games, French revolutionary hat-making, face painting, learning to sing the French national anthem, a mini-French class, and crepes to fill.

4:00 - 7:00 pm Activities for adults, including wine tasting (John David Hedrick Selections), crepes, talks on French coffee, eclectic tourism in Paris, Bastille Day in France, French art, photos by Jenny Warburg. There will be a small charge for food and drink and you will be able to buy bottles of wine.

At CHICLE, 101 E Weaver St. 3rd floor over Weaver Street Market

7:00 - 8:30 pm Film: The Lady and the Duke / L'Anglaise et le duc (2001) This breathtaking, visually experimental film from New Wave director Eric Rohmer tells the true story of Grace Dalrymple Elliot, a British aristocrat trapped in Paris during the French Revolution.

Fueling the Farm Workshop

With oil prices near all-time highs, farms are seeing price increases for shipping, storage, and processing, along with higher costs for nitrogen fertilizer made from natural gas and propane. As farms are looking for innovative ways to cope with high and fluctuating energy costs and reduce their fuel, fertilizer, and electric bills, they are also wondering if they may be able to generate some of their own power, using wind turbines, solar panels, anaerobic digesters, or biodiesel.

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) are pleased to announce Fueling the Farm: Managing Energy Risks, Reducing Energy Costs, and Exploring Alternative Energy Sources. This day-long workshop will take place July 12 at CEFS, a 2,000-acre research, extension, and education facility near Goldsboro, North Carolina. Besides offering an overview of current and future energy use in agriculture, the workshop will show producers how to evaluate their energy saving options and how to finance and build renewable energy projects. Participants will tour energy-saving projects at Cherry Farm, and breakout sessions will cover several forms of renewable energy, as well as state and federal grant and loan opportunities. Hands-on demonstrations will be emphasized. Participants will have the opportunity to help build a small-scale biodiesel reactor, from parts that can be purchased for around $300.

Funding for this workshop is provided by the USDA Risk Management Agency, through a cooperative partnership with NCAT titled Managing Farm Energy Risks.

Registration is required. To learn more about the workshop or to register, visit the CEFS website, www.cefs.ncsu.edu. The Center for Environmental Farming Systems, located at the Cherry Farm in Goldsboro, is a partnership between North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T University, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and various government and non-governmental organizations. NCAT is a national non-profit organization with headquarters in Montana and offices in Arkansas, California, Iowa, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. For more information about NCAT, visit www.ncat.org.

For more information about registering for the workshop contact:

Lisa Forehand
Extension and Outreach Coordinator Center for Environmental Farming Systems
Campus Box 7609, Raleigh, NC 27695
919-513-0954 Lisa_forehand@ncsu.edu


July Farm Dinner: Peregrine Farm!

Featuring items from Peregrine Farm Tuesday, July 17, 5:30 - 9 pm Celebrate the abundance of delicious local food! Enjoy a special menu with exciting dishes created with ingredients grown on Alex and Betsy Hitt's farm. Reservations accepted for parties of 6 or more. Patio dining available.
Visit Panzanella's website to view all menus (lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch).
Sign up for Panzanella's Enewsletter here.

New Art

New Paintings by Eduardo Lapetina July 30 - September 30, 2007 Eduardo Lapetina has been working on a new series recently, and we are looking forward to sharing his paintings with you.

August Wine Dinner

The Best of North Carolina Wines! Monday, August 13 7 - 9:30 pm Peg Todloski, our Wine Coordinator, will be presenting North Carolina wines from select NC wineries. Peg regularly disappears for days on end to visit North Carolina wineries. Her visits include meeting with winemakers, checking out vineyards and of course, tasting wines. What she has found is a state with a thriving wine industry, great people and beautiful vineyards. She's excited to share her experiences with you, through tasting tour of some of the best wines North Carolina has to offer. Join us for this exciting dinner, and enjoy plenty of food from the Panzanella Kitchen. Look for more information in our Carrboro store and Panzanella about which wineries will be represented. The cost of this event is $45 per person; space is limited, so reserve early. Please pay in advance and pick up a ticket for this tasting at either Panzanella or the customer service desk at Weaver Street Market in Carrboro.